Sunday, December 29, 2019

What Would It Entail - 1221 Words

Introduction: Imagine a world without moral responsibility. What would it entail? Without moral responsibility, legal systems today would necessarily undergo a dramatic revision. I have not a clue what they might result to. With constituents not being morally responsible for their actions, criminal acts become easily defensible. For the subject, he/she was not â€Å"free† at the time of the act, for one can only be morally responsible for an act if one was free and consciously willed the act ( ). Rape, theft, cheating, murder and torture thus become acceptable acts. A world without moral responsibility would imply more evil, more chaos, more social distrust of others, and more less-social beings†¦Imagine this world. Moral responsibility, then, matters for the sake of society and its people. It does though, as we see, presuppose one thing—a concept termed as free will. In the words of some philosophers, free will is a precondition for moral responsibility, but as a â€Å"thingà ¢â‚¬  in itself, is hard to define ( ). I will only attempt to provide a working definition for the concept of free will to operate on in this paper, for we can agree that 1) moral responsibility matters in society and 2) moral responsibility presupposes that subjects are free at the time of their action, and willed it. But since the 80s, neuroscientists have claimed free will is a nonexistent, illusory thing. Brain experiments measuring neural activity that precedes voluntary conscious action suggest that ourShow MoreRelatedNepotism Should Be Defined As An Immoral Practice1372 Words   |  6 Pagesegalitarian society because it entails rewarding those who have not earned it, indirectly punishing those who have worked hard, and mitigating the efficiency of organizations. Nepotism should be defined as an immoral practice because it entails rewarding those who have not earned it. Clearly, nepotism rewards the relatives of those with professional power without these relativ es having to earn it. In fact, the very core of the accepted denotative definition of nepotism entails the notion of givingRead MoreAtheism, Nihilism, And Nihilism1625 Words   |  7 PagesI believe atheism, and nihilism do have certain things in common, but Atheism does not necessarily entail nihilism. There is more than one type of nihilism found in society, and even though Nihilism may entail Atheism. but they are both different. Looking closer at the definition of Nihilism and Atheism I found the main difference in definition between the two which will later be explained in detail. There are many types of beliefs that could could be consider Nihilism, but only two that expressRead MoreAspects of Research793 Words   |  4 PagesINTRODUCTION Understanding what research is in the first place aids in the knowing what its key aspects are. 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If C1Read MoreMarketing Plan At Unisex Salon1107 Words   |  5 Pagesis enhanced by respecting and offering quality services to our consumers hence satisfaction. Respecting and educating my employees on customer service will promote a cordial relationship in the business. The first promotion technique that I would employ entails branding. The business is branded in a very attractive name which is His and Hers that consumers can hardly forget. As the business grows I will establish a logo that will uniquely identify the salon and when consumers see the logo anywhereRead MorePolice Methods And Strategies For Police Officers1505 Words   |  7 PagesPolice Strategies Police officers often employ various methods and strategies not only to combat criminal activities but also to ensure that the public is safe. These strategies entail beyond response to calls as a traditional method in the provision of service. In fact, they usually aim at crime intervention, prevention, as well as, effectiveness through the mechanisms such as efficient distribution of resources, community outreach, collection of criminal data, mapping of crime and location of suspectRead MoreCommon Practices in Religion Essay919 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Common Practices in Religion REL 133 Calvin Habig Keinesha Predium April 20, 2015 What is Religion? The term religion comes from the Latin word ‘religare’ which means to bind. In the world today, there are different forms of religious groups and followings that have unique beliefs and practices depending on their history. It is estimated that there are thousands of religions in the world, including the mainstream religious groups and others that are not known. One of the common characteristicsRead MoreCarl Jung s Theory Of Human Beings Experience1473 Words   |  6 Pages 2009). Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), the psychological functions can further be categorized into cognitive functions that exist in two dichotomous pairs. The pairs are rational (or judging), which entail feeling and thinking and irrational (or perceiving), which entail intuition and sensation. Human beings can be characterized by their preference of the two judging functions of feeling or thinking; their preference of general attitude which may be introverted or extraverted; andRead M oreThe Need For Sex Therapy929 Words   |  4 Pagesprocess of sex therapy ad what it is used for. I would assume that people might think sex therapy is for pedophiles or rapist, trying to control their â€Å"urges†. However, sex therapy is more than just for that reason, it can be a healing process for those who have been abused or even a building bock for a couple to improve their sexual relationship. As therapist, this is where education comes in. I believe that if more people understood, the benefits of sex therapy the more they would promote the use of itRead MoreShakespeares Use of Soliloquy To See Characters Thoughts in Hamlet926 Words   |  4 Pagesfather. While giving his soliloquy after he has seen the ghost, Hamlet even claims, â€Å"the spirit that I have seen may be the devil, and the devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape† (2.2.599-601). Hamlet had made a promise to the ghost that he would erase everything from his mind except for his plotting o f Claudius’ murder. At this point, however, he is questioning whether the ghost is his father or the devil, which is a doubt that he will continue to have throughout the play. Hamlet suddenly

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Environmental Justice Some Ecofeminist Worries About A...

Environmental Justice: Some Ecofeminist Worries About A Distributive Model ABSTRACT: Environmental philosophers, policy-makers and community activists who discuss environmental justice do so almost exclusively in terms of mainstream Western distributive models of social justice. Whether the issue is treatment of animals, human health or property, wilderness and species preservation, pollution or environmental degradation, the prevailing and largely unchallenged view is that the issues of environmental justice are for the most part distributive issues. I think this wholesale framing of considerations of environmental justice solely in terms of distribution is seriously flawed. Drawing on both ecofeminist insights into the inextricable†¦show more content†¦The need for environmental justice Whether it is trees, forests and forestry, unsanitary water, food production and agriculture, or training in environmental technologies, it is often poor women and children, particularly women and children of color in the South (or, Southern hemisphere), who suffer disproportionately the effects of environmental degradation. (1) Because of subordinate gender roles as forest managers, it is poor rural women and children in India who walk farther for fuelwood and fodder (e.g., an average of ten kilometers every three or four days for an average of seven hours each time). Because it is poor women and children who perform the water collection work in the South, it is women and children who experience disproportionately higher health risks in the presence of unsanitary water. Each year millions of people, primarily women and children, are affected by major illnesses acquired while drawing water. Women farmers grow at least 59 percent of the world’s food, and in some places (e.g., p arts of Africa), as much as 80 percent. Yet the gender division of labor gives women unequal access to cash crops and their labor is often unpaid. And so-called appropriate technologies often are inappropriate for women: Such

Friday, December 13, 2019

The Host Chapter 11 Dehydrated Free Essays

string(93) " and fanned my shirt out from my body; it moved as stiffly as cardboard with the dried salt\." Okay! You were right, you were right!† I said the words out loud. There was no one around to hear me. Melanie wasn’t saying â€Å"I told you so. We will write a custom essay sample on The Host Chapter 11: Dehydrated or any similar topic only for you Order Now † Not in so many words. But I could feel the accusation in her silence. I was still unwilling to leave the car, though it was useless to me now. When the gas ran out, I had let it roll forward with the remaining momentum until it took a nosedive into a shallow gorge-a thick rivulet cut by the last big rain. Now I stared out the windshield at the vast, vacant plain and felt my stomach twist with panic. We have to move, Wanderer. It’s only going to get hotter. If I hadn’t wasted more than a quarter of a tank of gas stubbornly pushing on to the very base of the second landmark-only to find that the third milestone was no longer visible from that vantage and to have to turn around and backtrack-we would have been so much farther down this sandy wash, so much closer to our next goal. Thanks to me, we were going to have to travel on foot now. I loaded the water, one bottle at a time, into the pack, my motions unnecessarily deliberate; I added the remaining granola bars just as slowly. All the while, Melanie ached for me to hurry. Her impatience made it hard to think, hard to concentrate on anything. Like what was going to happen to us. C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, she chanted until I lurched, stiff and awkward, out of the car. My back throbbed as I straightened up. It hurt from sleeping so contorted last night, not from the weight of the pack; the pack wasn’t that heavy when I used my shoulders to lift it. Now cover the car, she instructed, picturing me ripping thorny branches from the nearby creosotes and palo verdes and draping them over the silver top of the car. â€Å"Why?† Her tone implied that I was quite stupid for not understanding. So no one finds us. But what if I want to be found? What if there’s nothing out here but heat and dirt? We have no way to get home! Home? she questioned, throwing cheerless images at me: the vacant apartment in San Diego, the Seeker’s most obnoxious expression, the dot that marked Tucson on the map†¦ a brief, happier flash of the red canyon that slipped in by accident. Where would that be? I turned my back on the car, ignoring her advice. I was in too far already. I wasn’t going to give up all hope of return. Maybe someone would find the car and then find me. I could easily and honestly explain what I was doing here to any rescuer: I was lost. I’d lost my way†¦ lost my control†¦ lost my mind. I followed the wash at first, letting my body fall into its natural long-strided rhythm. It wasn’t the way I walked on the sidewalks to and from the university-it wasn’t my walk at all. But it fit the rugged terrain here and moved me smoothly forward with a speed that surprised me until I got used to it. â€Å"What if I hadn’t come this way?† I wondered as I walked farther into the desert waste. â€Å"What if Healer Fords were still in Chicago? What if my path hadn’t taken us so close to them?† It was that urgency, that lure-the thought that Jared and Jamie might be right here, somewhere in this empty place-that had made it impossible to resist this senseless plan. I’m not sure, Melanie admitted. I think I might still have tried, but I was afraid while the other souls were near. I’m still afraid. Trusting you could kill them both. We flinched together at the thought. But being here, so close†¦ It seemed like I had to try. Please-and suddenly she was pleading with me, begging me, no trace of resentment in her thoughts-please don’t use this to hurt them. Please. â€Å"I don’t want to†¦ I don’t know if I can hurt them. I’d rather†¦Ã¢â‚¬  What? Die myself? Than give a few stray humans up to the Seekers? Again we flinched at the thought, but my revulsion at the idea comforted her. And it frightened me more than it soothed her. When the wash started angling too far toward the north, Melanie suggested that we forget the flat, ashen path and take the direct line to the third landmark, the eastern spur of rock that seemed to point, fingerlike, toward the cloudless sky. I didn’t like leaving the wash, just as I’d resisted leaving the car. I could follow this wash all the way back to the road, and the road back to the highway. It was miles and miles, and it would take me days to traverse, but once I stepped off this wash I was officially adrift. Have faith, Wanderer. We’ll find Uncle Jeb, or he’ll find us. If he’s still alive, I added, sighing and loping off my simple path into the brush that was identical in every direction. Faith isn’t a familiar concept for me. I don’t know that I buy into it. Trust, then? In who? You? I laughed. The hot air baked my throat when I inhaled. Just think, she said, changing the subject, maybe we’ll see them by tonight. The yearning belonged to us both; the image of their faces, one man, one child, came from both memories. When I walked faster, I wasn’t sure that I was completely in command of the motion. It did get hotter-and then hotter, and then hotter still. Sweat plastered my hair to my scalp and made my pale yellow T-shirt cling unpleasantly wherever it touched. In the afternoon, scorching gusts of wind kicked up, blowing sand in my face. The dry air sucked the sweat away, crusted my hair with grit, and fanned my shirt out from my body; it moved as stiffly as cardboard with the dried salt. You read "The Host Chapter 11: Dehydrated" in category "Essay examples" I kept walking. I drank water more often than Melanie wanted me to. She begrudged me every mouthful, threatening me that we would want it much more tomorrow. But I’d already given her so much today that I was in no mood to listen. I drank when I was thirsty, which was most of the time. My legs moved me forward without any thought on my part. The crunching rhythm of my steps was background music, low and tedious. There was nothing to see; one twisted, brittle shrub looked exactly the same as the next. The empty homogeny lulled me into a sort of daze-I was only really aware of the shape of the mountains’ silhouettes against the pale, bleached sky. I read their outlines every few steps, till I knew them so well I could have drawn them blindfolded. The view seemed frozen in place. I constantly whipped my head around, searching for the fourth marker-a big dome-shaped peak with a missing piece, a curved absence scooped from its side that Melanie had only shown me this morning-as if the perspective would have changed from my last step. I hoped this last clue was it, because we’d be lucky to get that far. But I had a sense that Melanie was keeping more from me, and our journey’s end was impossibly distant. I snacked on my granola bars through the afternoon, not realizing until it was too late that I’d finished the last one. When the sun set, the night descended with the same speed as it had yesterday. Melanie was prepared, already scouting out a place to stop. Here, she told me. We’ll want to stay as far from the cholla as possible. You toss in your sleep. I eyed the fluffy-looking cactus in the failing light, so thick with bone-colored needles that it resembled fur, and shuddered. You want me to just sleep on the ground? Right here? You see another option? She felt my panic, and her tone softened, as if with pity. Look-it’s better than the car. At least it’s flat. It’s too hot for any critters to be attracted to your body heat and – â€Å"Critters?† I demanded aloud. â€Å"Critters?† There were brief, very unpleasant flashes of deadly-looking insects and coiled serpents in her memories. Don’t worry. She tried to soothe me as I arched up on my tiptoes, away from anything that might be hiding in the sand below, my eyes searching the blackness for some escape. Nothing’s going to bother you unless you bother it first. After all, you’re bigger than anything else out here. Another flash of memory, this time a medium-size canine scavenger, a coyote, flitted through our thoughts. â€Å"Perfect,† I moaned, sinking down into a crouch, though I was still afraid of the black ground beneath me. â€Å"Killed by wild dogs. Who would have thought it would end so†¦ so trivially? How anticlimactic. The claw beast on the Mists Planet, sure. At least there’d be some dignity in being taken down by that.† Melanie’s answering tone made me picture her rolling her eyes. Stop being a baby. Nothing is going to eat you. Now lie down and get some rest. Tomorrow will be harder than today. â€Å"Thanks for the good news,† I grumbled. She was turning into a tyrant. It made me think of the human axiom Give him an inch and he’ll take a mile. But I was more exhausted than I realized, and as I settled unwillingly to the ground, I found it impossible not to slump down on the rough, gravelly dirt and let my eyes close. It seemed like just minutes later when the morning dawned, blindingly bright and already hot enough to have me sweating. I was crusted in dirt and rocks when I woke; my right arm was pinned under me and had lost feeling. I shook out the tingles and then reached into my pack for some water. Melanie did not approve, but I ignored her. I looked for the half-empty bottle I’d last drunk from, rummaging through the fulls and empties until I began to see a pattern. With a slowly growing sense of alarm, I started counting. I counted twice. There were two more empties than there were fulls. I’d already used up more than half my water supply. I told you that you were drinking too much. I didn’t answer her, but I pulled the pack on without taking a drink. My mouth felt horrible, dry and sandy and tasting of bile. I tried to ignore that, tried to stop running my sandpaper tongue over my gritty teeth, and started walking. My stomach was harder to ignore than my mouth as the sun rose higher and hotter above me. It twisted and contracted at regular intervals, anticipating meals that didn’t appear. By afternoon, the hunger had gone from uncomfortable to painful. This is nothing, Melanie reminded me wryly. We’ve been hungrier. You have, I retorted. I didn’t feel like being an audience to her endurance memories right now. I was beginning to despair when the good news came. As I swung my head across the horizon with a routine, halfhearted movement, the bulbous shape of the dome jumped out at me from the middle of a northern line of small peaks. The missing part was only a faint indentation from this vantage point. Close enough, Melanie decided, as thrilled as I was to be making some progress. I turned north eagerly, my steps lengthening. Keep a lookout for the next. She remembered another formation for me, and I started craning my head around at once, though I knew it was useless to search for it this early. It would be to the east. North and then east and then north again. That was the pattern. The lift of finding another milestone kept me moving despite the growing weariness in my legs. Melanie urged me on, chanting encouragements when I slowed, thinking of Jared and Jamie when I turned apathetic. My progress was steady, and I waited till Melanie okayed each drink, even though the inside of my throat felt as though it was blistering. I had to admit that I was proud of myself for being so tough. When the dirt road appeared, it seemed like a reward. It snaked toward the north, the direction I was already headed, but Melanie was skittish. I don’t like the look of it, she insisted. The road was just a sallow line through the scrub, defined only by its smoother texture and lack of vegetation. Ancient tire tracks made a double depression, centered in the single lane. When it goes the wrong way, we’ll leave it. I was already walking down the middle of the tracks. It’s easier than weaving through the creosote and watching out for cholla. She didn’t answer, but her unease made me feel a little paranoid. I kept up my search for the next formation-a perfect M, two matching volcanic points-but I also watched the desert around me more carefully than before. Because I was paying extra attention, I noticed the gray smudge in the distance long before I could make out what it was. I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me and blinked against the dust that clouded them. The color seemed wrong for a rock, and the shape too solid for a tree. I squinted into the brightness, making guesses. Then I blinked again, and the smudge suddenly jumped into a structured shape, closer than I’d been thinking. It was some kind of house or building, small and weathered to a dull gray. Melanie’s spike of panic had me dancing off the narrow lane and into the dubious cover of the barren brush. Hold on, I told her. I’m sure it’s abandoned. How do you know? She was holding back so hard that I had to concentrate on my feet before I could move them forward. Who would live out here? We souls live for society. I heard the bitter edge to my explanation and knew it was because of where I now stood-physically and metaphorically in the middle of nowhere. Why did I no longer belong to the society of souls? Why did I feel like I didn’t†¦ like I didn’t want to belong? Had I ever really been a part of the community that was meant to be my own, or was that the reason behind my long line of lives lived in transience? Had I always been an aberration, or was this something Melanie was making me into? Had this planet changed me, or revealed me for what I already was? Melanie had no patience for my personal crisis-she wanted me to get far away from that building as fast as possible. Her thoughts yanked and twisted at mine, pulling me out of my introspection. Calm down, I ordered, trying to focus my thoughts, to separate them from hers. If there is anything that actually lives here, it would be human. Trust me on this; there is no such thing as a hermit among souls. Maybe your Uncle Jeb – She rejected that thought harshly. No one could survive out in the open like this. Your kind would have searched any habitation thoroughly. Whoever lived here ran or became one of you. Uncle Jeb would have a better hiding place. And if whoever lived here became one of us, I assured her, then they left this place. Only a human would live this way†¦ I trailed off, suddenly afraid, too. What? She reacted strongly to my fright, freezing us in place. She scanned my thoughts, looking for something I’d seen to upset me. But I’d seen nothing new. Melanie, what if there are humans out here-not Uncle Jeb and Jared and Jamie? What if someone else found us? She absorbed the idea slowly, thinking it through. You’re right. They’d kill us immediately. Of course. I tried to swallow, to wash the taste of terror from my dry mouth. There won’t be anyone else. How could there be? she reasoned. Your kind are far too thorough. Only someone already in hiding would have had a chance. So let’s go check it out-you’re sure there are none of you, and I’m sure there are none of me. Maybe we can find something helpful, something we can use as a weapon. I shuddered at her thoughts of sharp knives and long metal tools that could be turned into clubs. No weapons. Ugh. How did such spineless creatures beat us? Stealth and superior numbers. Any one of you, even your young, is a hundred times as dangerous as one of us. But you’re like one termite in an anthill. There are millions of us, all working together in perfect harmony toward our goal. Again, as I described the unity, I felt the dragging sense of panic and disorientation. Who was I? We kept to the creosote as we approached the little structure. It looked to be a house, just a small shack beside the road, with no hint at all of any other purpose. The reason for its location here was a mystery-this spot had nothing to offer but emptiness and heat. There was no sign of recent habitation. The door frame gaped, doorless, and only a few shards of glass clung to the empty window frames. Dust gathered on the threshold and spilled inside. The gray weathered walls seemed to lean away from the wind, as if it always blew from the same direction here. I was able to contain my anxiety as I walked hesitantly to the vacant door frame; we must be just as alone here as we had been all day and all yesterday. The shade the dark entry promised drew me forward, trumping my fears with its appeal. I still listened intently, but my feet moved ahead with swift, sure steps. I darted through the doorway, moving quickly to one side so as to have a wall at my back. This was instinctual, a product of Melanie’s scavenging days. I stood frozen there, unnerved by my blindness, waiting for my eyes to adjust. The little shack was empty, as we’d known it would be. There were no more signs of occupation inside than out. A broken table slanted down from its two good legs in the middle of the room, with one rusted metal chair beside it. Patches of concrete showed through big holes in the worn, grimy carpet. A kitchenette lined the wall with a rusted sink, a row of cabinets-some doorless-and a waist-high refrigerator that hung open, revealing its moldy black insides. A couch frame sat against the far wall, all the cushions gone. Still mounted above the couch, only a little crooked, was a framed print of dogs playing poker. Homey, Melanie thought, relieved enough to be sarcastic. It’s got more decor than your apartment. I was already moving for the sink. Dream on, Melanie added helpfully. Of course it would be wasteful to have water running to this secluded place; the souls managed details like that better than to leave such an anomaly behind. I still had to twist the ancient knobs. One broke off in my hand, rusted through. I turned to the cupboards next, kneeling on the nasty carpet to peek carefully inside. I leaned away as I opened the door, afraid I might be disturbing one of the venomous desert animals in its lair. The first was empty, backless, so that I could see the wooden slats of the outside wall. The next had no door, but there was a stack of antique newspapers inside, covered with dust. I pulled one out, curious, shaking the dirt to the dirtier floor, and read the date. From human times, I noted. Not that I needed a date to tell me that. â€Å"Man Burns Three-Year-Old Daughter to Death,† the headline screamed at me, accompanied by a picture of an angelic blond child. This wasn’t the front page. The horror detailed here was not so hideous as to rate priority coverage. Beneath this was the face of a man wanted for the murders of his wife and two children two years before the print date; the story was about a possible sighting of the man in Mexico. Two people killed and three injured in a drunk-driving accident. A fraud and murder investigation into the alleged suicide of a prominent local banker. A suppressed confession setting an admitted child molester free. House pets found slaughtered in a trash bin. I cringed, shoving the paper away from me, back into the dark cupboard. Those were the exceptions, not the norm, Melanie thought quietly, trying to keep the fresh horror of my reaction from seeping into her memories of those years and recoloring them. Can you see how we thought we might be able to do better, though? How we could have supposed that maybe you didn’t deserve all the excellent things of this world? Her answer was acidic. If you wanted to cleanse the planet, you could have blown it up. Despite what your science fiction writers dream, we simply don’t have the technology. She didn’t think my joke was funny. Besides, I added, that would have been such a waste. It’s a lovely planet. This unspeakable desert excepted, of course. That’s how we realized you were here, you know, she said, thinking of the sickening news headlines again. When the evening news was nothing but inspiring human-interest stories, when pedophiles and junkies were lining up at the hospitals to turn themselves in, when everything morphed into Mayberry, that’s when you tipped your hand. â€Å"What an awful alteration!† I said dryly, turning to the next cupboard. I pulled the stiff door back and found the mother lode. â€Å"Crackers!† I shouted, seizing the discolored, half-smashed box of Saltines. There was another box behind it, one that looked like someone had stepped on it. â€Å"Twinkies!† I crowed. Look! Melanie urged, pointing a mental finger at three dusty bottles of bleach at the very back of the cupboard. What do you want bleach for? I asked, already ripping into the cracker box. To throw in someone’s eyes? Or to brain them with the bottle? To my delight, the crackers, though reduced to crumbs, were still inside their plastic sleeves. I tore one open and started shaking the crumbs into my mouth, swallowing them half chewed. I couldn’t get them into my stomach fast enough. Open a bottle and smell it, she instructed, ignoring my commentary. That’s how my dad used to store water in the garage. The bleach residue kept the water from growing anything. In a minute. I finished one sleeve of crumbs and started on the next. They were very stale, but compared to the taste in my mouth, they were ambrosia. When I finished the third, I became aware that the salt was burning the cracks in my lips and at the corners of my mouth. I heaved out one of the bleach bottles, hoping Melanie was right. My arms felt weak and noodley, barely able to lift it. This concerned us both. How much had our condition deteriorated already? How much farther would we be able to go? The bottle’s cap was so tight, I wondered if it had melted into place. Finally, though, I was able to twist it off with my teeth. I sniffed at the opening carefully, not especially wanting to pass out from bleach fumes. The chemical scent was very faint. I sniffed deeper. It was water, definitely. Stagnant, musty water, but water all the same. I took a small mouthful. Not a fresh mountain stream, but wet. I started guzzling. Easy there, Melanie warned me, and I had to agree. We’d lucked into this cache, but it made no sense to squander it. Besides, I wanted something solid now that the salt burn had eased. I turned to the box of Twinkies and licked three of the smooshed-up cakes from the inside of the wrappers. The last cupboard was empty. As soon as the hunger pangs had eased slightly, Melanie’s impatience began to leak into my thoughts. Feeling no resistance this time, I quickly loaded my spoils into my pack, pitching the empty water bottles into the sink to make room. The bleach jugs were heavy, but theirs was a comforting weight. It meant I wouldn’t stretch out to sleep on the desert floor thirsty and hungry again tonight. With the sugar energy beginning to buzz through my veins, I loped back out into the bright afternoon. How to cite The Host Chapter 11: Dehydrated, Essay examples

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Workforce Engagement Management

Question: Write an essay on managing workforce engagement and commitment? Answer: Introduction: An important part of a business organization is its employees. The success of a business organization highly depends on the current state of employee relationship. A good employee relationship helps the business organization to retain the skilled staff for a long time. Moreover, a good relationship encourages the workers to give more work effort in the business operation process. This implies that a good employee relationship is also important for an organization in order to increase the labor efficiency. Employee relation is the effort given by a company to manage the relationship between the employers and employees. The concept of the trade union emerged to protect the employees from the dominance power of employer through the equal bargaining power (Markedbyteachers.com, 2016). Moreover, another role of trade union in an organization is to represent the workers interest in maintenance of good employer-employee relationship. In this assignment, the main objective is to make an exam ination on the conflicting perspectives of the role of trade union that exists in an organization. In the second segment, these approaches will be used to resolve the employee relation problems in a business organization. The concept of Unitary and Pluralistic Perspective regarding to the employee relations: The most popular two employee relation approaches are unitary approach and pluralistic approach. Under Unitary Perspective, a business organization is assumed as an integrated and harmonious system, where both employers and employees share same goal and objectives. In this approach, the existence of trade union in the business organization is treated as an unnecessary element. Even if a trade union is recognized, then the role of that union will be to act as a communication means between the employers and employees of the business organization. From the employee point of view, this unitary approach means working practice should be flexible and the overall business process should be improvement-oriented, multi skilled and ready to resolve the issues with an efficient manner whenever it is required (yourpersonalresearchwriter.blogspot.in, 2010). On the other hand, from the employer point of view, unitary approach means,the employment policy should be such that that it would able to motivate the workers, the objectives of the organization should be properly communicated to staff an d theemployee reward system should be so designed to secure their loyalty and commitments. Moreover, the employers assume that under this approach it is the duty of each employee to discuss their personal objectives and integrate these objectives with the organizations ultimate goal. Pluralistic Approach is completely different from the unitary approach.Under this approach, the business organization is treated as a coalition of competing interest group mediated by the organizations management. This approach assumes that there exists a greater amount of conflict in the business organization than harmony. Therefore, it may happen that management in its mediating role may pay insufficient attention to the needs and claims of employees (www.whatishumanresource.com, 2016). In such a situation, the employee section of the business organization forms trade union with the aim of protecting their needs and claims. For this reason, in the pluralistic approach, trade union is seen as a legitimate representative of employees in the business organization. This implies that, under this approach there exists a conflict of interest and disagreement between the employer group and employee group in the business organization. These conflicts are addressed by the collective bargaini ng power of trade union and the employer group of the business organization. Key ingredients of effective collective bargaining Collective Bargaining is a negotiation process between the employers and employees. At the time of bargaining process, the trade union plays a significant role. This trade union acts as a representative of employees group. The trade union always tries to increase the existing wage scale, makes the working hours favorable to the employees group, makes the employer to arrange necessary training program, improve the health and safety regulations of the company. Though the main objective of the trade union while making the collective bargaining process is to improve the work condition of the employees, sometime the trade union participates in the decision making process of the employer through this the collective bargaining process. An effective process increases the morale and the productivity of the workforce, restricts the freedom of the management, prevents the management from doing unethical labor exploitation, and motivates the workers as they can now approach their owner directly on various matters. There are seven key ingredients of the effective collective bargaining arrangement. The collective bargaining process will not be successful without sufficient degree of organization. This implies that the strength of the workers union should be high enough so that the employers cannot be able to refuse the negotiation process. Another key ingredient of the bargaining process is freedom of association. Without this ingredient, it is not possible to make an effective bargaining process. Moreover, the bargaining process will not begin without the mutual recognition between the both workers group and owner group. An effective bargaining process by the trade union is not possible to make without proper political climate. This implies that, without the government support, the workers of any business organization cannot be able to form trade unions and make an effective bargaining process. In addition to these, the trade union should have sufficient authority power over its member. Otherwi se, collective bargaining process will not be successful. Moreover, the strict prohibition of the give and take policy and unfair labor practices in the trade union are other key ingredients of effective bargaining process arrangement. Merits and Demerits of Different Contemporary approach for promotion of effective employee relations: Different contemporary approaches are used to promote effective relations in an organization. Among various approaches, partnership, engagement and employee voice are considered as most effective approach to maintain good employee relationship. The approach of the partnership working can be defined as an association of both employers and employees, which is based on the fulfillment of common as well as individual objectives of employer, employee and trade union. It has been observed that, the adaptation of this approach help the organization to achieve their goals by equating the objectives of the employers with that of employees. In this approach, there is little chance of emergence of conflicts in the organization related decision making progress. A healthy partnership helps a business organization to address the business related issues more quickly. Though this partnership approach involves a great communication between both the parties, but at the same time, it also motivates the employer to increase their commitments and dedication to the works. Another merit of this approach is it helps to raise the morale of the workers, which in turn increases the work productivity (Ipa-involve.com, 2016). On the other hand, this ap proach has some demerits also. This approach makes the trade union less powerful and puts the employees section in relatively weaker position than the employer section. Moreover, the introduction of this approach in the work environment needs more administration and increases the operation cost of the employers. Another popular approach is employee engagement. According to this approach, there should be a proper condition in every organization, which will enable all the members of the organization to give their best effort every day (sloanreview.mit.edu, 2016). Moreover, this condition will motivate the employees to contribute in the organizational success through their commitment and dedication to the organization. This implies that, employee engagement is trust, integrity, two way commitment and communication between the organization and its member. This employee relation approach increases the likelihood of the business success by improving the organizational and individual performance, productivity and well-being (engageforsuccess.org, 2015). For this reason, the significance of this approach is increasing continuously with the passage of time. This approach has some merits (Butler, Tregaskis and Glover, 2011). It tends the employee to generate positive attitude towards the organization. Employees are seen to be respectful and helpful towards their colleague. Moreover, this approach motivates the workers to go beyond the job requirement and looks for the opportunities, which can in turn improve the organizational performance. In addition to these, it has been seen that, the job performance is directly linked with employee engagement. Even if the employee engagement is the willingness and ability of the employees to contribute in the organizational success, it has some drawback also (www.thetutorpages.com, 2016) Sometime employee engagement program are designed by the employer so that they can able to exploit the talent of the skilled labor to the companys success. Sometime, the main objective of this employee engagement program becomes More take, less give from the organization. Employee Voice is another employee relation approach. It is the participation of employees in the decision making process of organization by raising their voices to highlight their satisfaction or dissatisfaction of jobs (Lund Dean, 2014). The significance of voice concept is increasing gradually in a variety of discipline (Burris, Rockmann and Kim, 2014). At present, the term employee voice becomes an elastic term. The popularity of this approach is increasing overtime as it ensures all the employees of a business organization that they can their view directly to the management authority. Some advantages of this approach are-1) It tends the workers more focused in their job, 2) it enhances the capability of the workers through effective HR management processes, 3) it helps the organization to retain their skilled labor and 6) it articulates and helps to shape the internal culture of the organization (Kaufman, 2014). In this part, the main objective is to use different employment relation approaches that are discussed in the above section in order to resolve the employment issues in Tesco. Tesco is multinational grocery retailer of United Kingdom. At present, the number of employees in this company is 500,000. Recently, this company is facing some problem with their employees, which in turn is affecting the work culture of this company. Due to the festive season, Tesco workers are facing tremendous work pressure (Business Insider, 2016). This tends them to do extra hours. However, the workers do not get extra payment for this. This causes a kind of job dissatisfaction in their mind. Tesco is grocery retail stores. Since the business success of a retail business depends on the performance and commitment of the workers, therefore Tesco should solve this employment problem as soon as possible in order to sustain its business growth. Many Tesco workers complained that, they have to work for 65 hours in week whereas according the agreement, their total work hour in a week is 37 hours. In this context, it can be said that, Tesco should adapt employee engagement approach and employee voice approach in order to solve this employment relation issues. Under these two approaches, the employees can directly talked with the management authority regarding their issues and vision on the future business success through trade union. In this particular case, the TESCO authority has argued that, they would pay their workers for the extra work. However, this decision of the management was not conveyed to the workers for some reason. This makes the workers think that, the company is exploiting them unethically. This hampers the existing employee relation in Tesco. Now, if Tesco employs employee engagement and employee voice approach, then the workers can talk directly with the upper management authority. Then, it will be easy for the workers to get the information on the managers current step. Moreover, another benefit of these two approaches is it will reduce the possibility of the emergence of conflict because of any miscommunication between the management authority and the employee union. In addition to these, it can be said that, if the workers of Tesco are aware about the extra hour payment, then they will be encouraged to put more effort beyond their work hour. Moreover, this also makes the employees to feel that, the management of Tesco is concerned with the well being of its workers. This will in turn motivate the workers and generates positive attitude towards the work. In this way, Tesco can resolve the current employment issues with the help of employee engagement approach and employee voice approach. Here, in this context, it is important to note that, these two approaches will make the employees more involved with the current goal of the organization. This will upsurge the all over organizational performance and help Tesco to acquire more market share. Conclusion: The business organization having strong employer and employee relationship is able to reap various kinds of benefits such as increment in the employee productivity, high employees loyalty to the organization, reduction of conflict in work environment, provision of the motivation to the workers to give more effort. Trade union plays a significant role in the employee relation in a business organization. Different behavioral theorists perceive the scenario of employee relation in business organization and the factors that are likely to affect this relation differently. Because of this, there emerges a different approach in the employee relation field. The main objective of Collective Bargaining is to improve the overall working conditions. An effective collective bargaining process is very important for the employer, employee and society as whole. A healthy employee relationship is the key driver of the future success of a business organization. This relationship is also beneficial fro m the employee side also. In the second part of this assignment, it has been shown how Tesco solves its current employment problem using different employment relation approaches. References Burris, E., Rockmann, K. and Kim, Y. (2014). 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